On Shakespear

What needs my Shakespear for his honour'd Bones,
The labour of an age in piled Stones,
Or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid
Under a Star-ypointing Pyramid?
Dear son of memory, great heir of Fame,
What need'st thou such weak witnes of thy name?
Thou in our wonder and astonishment
Hast built thy self a live-long Monument.
For whilst toth' shame of slow-endeavouring art,
Thy easie numbers flow, and that each heart
Hath from the leaves of thy unvalu'd Book,
Those Delphick lines with deep impression took
Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving,
Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving;
And so Sepulcher'd in such pomp dost lie,
That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die. 

John Milton

A further significant theme emerges from Milton’s characterization of Shakespeare’s creative imagination. Though his references to Shakespeare are limited, Milton became an early proponent of the view that Shakespeare was a naturally gifted genius, more a product of nature than of art. At its extreme, it depicted the bard as a pure and unlearned genius surpassing all the dicta of art. As applied to Shakespeare, the point of view can be traced to the writings of Shakespeare’s contemporary Ben Jonson, though Jonson, the consummate artist, suggests in Timber: Or Discoveries Made upon Men and Matter 1641 that Shakespeare’s ignorance of the classics and canons of art is a flaw. With Milton, however, there is no hint of disapproval. Milton celebrates Shakespeare’s “easy numbers” and, in “L’Allegro,” refers to Shakespeare as “Fancy’s child” who warbles “his native woodnotes wild.” In the epitaph, Milton draws a sharp contrast between art and nature: “For whilst to th’ shame of slow-endeavoring art/ Thy easy numbers flow” (lines 9-10). Shakespeare thus achieves the effects of ease while ignoring the canons of art.

On the Late Massacre in Piedmont

Avenge, O Lord, thy slaughtered Saints, whose bones

Lie scattered on the Alpine mountains cold;

Even them who kept thy truth so pure of old,

When all our fathers worshiped stocks and stones,

Forget not: in thy book record their groans

Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold

Slain by the bloody Piemontese, that rolled

Mother with infant down the rocks. Their moans

The vales redoubled to the hills, and they

To heaven. Their martyred blood and ashes sow

O'er all the Italian fields, where still doth sway

The tripple tyrant; that from these may grow

A hundredfold, who, having learnt thy way,

Early may fly the Babylonian woe.

Milton makes indirect allusions to Rome in his sonnet "On the Late Massacre in Piedmont," but does not make his opinion hidden, or so subtle as to be missed. It is readily apparent exactly how shocked and saddened he is by the bloody slaughter of the Waldensian sect in April 1655 at Pra del Torno, and equally transparent what he thinks of the religious establishment that allowed or commanded it to happen. To him, the victims were faithful dissenters who were the first to correctly interpret God's will, while the marauders were representative of a greedy, tyrannical Church who had lost its way - if it had ever followed it - and whose leadership was all too subject to human frailties.

How Soon Hath Time

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stoln on his wing my three and twentieth year!
My hasting days fly on wtih full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arrived so near,
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,
It shall be still in strictest measure even
To that same lot, however mean or high,
Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heaven;
All is, if I have grace to use it so,
As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye. 

John Milton

He makes his argument that Time, personified with a capital T, is a thief that steals youth away before greatness can be achieved. His potential, which he can feel within him, is not yet reached. He can't see outward signs of this greatness yet, but expresses faith that his future will unfold as God wills it In the last line, John Milton makes reference to a parable from the Bible (Matthew 20:1-16 KJV) where laborers come to labor in the field. Some come early, and some come late, but both are paid the same wages. When the earlier laborers complain, the taskmaster over the field explains that "the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." he structure of the poem is interesting, when we consider that each stanza of four lines makes up an entire sentence that perfectly fits the iambic pentameter of the poem, yet still produces a cohesive thought. The second stanza of four lines is the same. The strength of the biblical imagery at the end puts a base of strength underneath the lighter, more airy symbolism of spring in the beginning.

From 'Samson Agonistes' i

OH how comely it is and how reviving
To the Spirits of just men long opprest!
When God into the hands of thir deliverer
Puts invincible might
To quell the mighty of the Earth, th' oppressour,
The brute and boist'rous force of violent men
Hardy and industrious to support
Tyrannic power, but raging to pursue
The righteous and all such as honour Truth;
He all thir Ammunition
And feats of War defeats
With plain Heroic magnitude of mind
And celestial vigour arm'd,
Thir Armories and Magazins contemns,
Renders them useless, while
With winged expedition
Swift as the lightning glance he executes
His errand on the wicked, who surpris'd
Lose thir defence distracted and amaz'd.

ALL is best, though we oft doubt,
What th' unsearchable dispose
Of highest wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.
Oft he seems to hide his face,
But unexpectedly returns
And to his faithful Champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns
And all that band them to resist
His uncontroulable intent.
His servants he with new acquist
Of true experience from this great event
With peace and consolation hath dismist,
And calm of mind all passion spent.

O FOR some honest lover's ghost,
   Some kind unbodied post
   Sent from the shades below!
   I strangely long to know
Whether the noble chaplets wear
Those that their mistress' scorn did bear
   Or those that were used kindly.

For whatsoe'er they tell us here
   To make those sufferings dear,
   'Twill there, I fear, be found
   That to the being crown'd
T' have loved alone will not suffice,
Unless we also have been wise
   And have our loves enjoy'd.

What posture can we think him in
   That, here unloved, again
   Departs, and 's thither gone
   Where each sits by his own?
Or how can that Elysium be
Where I my mistress still must see
   Circled in other's arms?

For there the judges all are just,
   And Sophonisba must
   Be his whom she held dear,
   Not his who loved her here.
The sweet Philoclea, since she died,
Lies by her Pirocles his side,
   Not by Amphialus.

Some bays, perchance, or myrtle bough
   For difference crowns the brow
   Of those kind souls that were
   The noble martyrs here:
And if that be the only odds
(As who can tell?), ye kinder gods,
   Give me the woman here! 

John Milton

Samson hopes God will forgive him, but he has no desire for a long life. He thinks his great exploits swelled him with pride, which was why he succumbed to Dalila's charms, allowing her to shear him like a sheep as he slept, taking his strength. The Chorus notes that Samson never drank wine, and he acknowledges that he only drank from brooks, but such temperance was of no use to him, now that he has become good for nothing. Manoa argues that Samson should not wish to stay in prison, where he will be made to work for the enemy, especially because God might bring his sight back. He asks why God has let Samson's strength return, if not for him to do something significant with it. 

Million Man March Poem

The night has been long,
The wound has been deep,
The pit has been dark,
And the walls have been steep.

Under a dead blue sky on a distant beach,
I was dragged by my braids just beyond your reach.
Your hands were tied, your mouth was bound,
You couldn't even call out my name.
You were helpless and so was I,
But unfortunately throughout history
You've worn a badge of shame.

I say, the night has been long,
The wound has been deep,
The pit has been dark
And the walls have been steep.

But today, voices of old spirit sound
Speak to us in words profound,
Across the years, across the centuries,
Across the oceans, and across the seas.
They say, draw near to one another,
Save your race.
You have been paid for in a distant place,
The old ones remind us that slavery's chains
Have paid for our freedom again and again.

The night has been long,
The pit has been deep,
The night has been dark,
And the walls have been steep.

The hells we have lived through and live through still,
Have sharpened our senses and toughened our will.
The night has been long.
This morning I look through your anguish
Right down to your soul.
I know that with each other we can make ourselves whole.
I look through the posture and past your disguise,
And see your love for family in your big brown eyes.

I say, clap hands and let's come together in this meeting ground,
I say, clap hands and let's deal with each other with love,
I say, clap hands and let us get from the low road of indifference,
Clap hands, let us come together and reveal our hearts,
Let us come together and revise our spirits,
Let us come together and cleanse our souls,
Clap hands, let's leave the preening
And stop impostering our own history.
Clap hands, call the spirits back from the ledge,
Clap hands, let us invite joy into our conversation,
Courtesy into our bedrooms,
Gentleness into our kitchen,
Care into our nursery.

The ancestors remind us, despite the history of pain
We are a going-on people who will rise again.

And still we rise. 

Maya Angelou  

 It uses repeated words of past tense to show that the horrific events were in the past and they are now moving forward and putting their struggles behind them (stanza 5)The use of repetition creates a chanting effect through diction by repeating “i say clap hands.” this shows union amongst people and that they are in it together. (stanza 7)●The connotations in the words sharpened toughened shows strength, the deliberate use3 of these words how us that they are gaining from their past experiences of oppression and they are thinking positively and optimistically about the future. (stanza 6)●The choice of words effects the mood and tone of the poem for example in stanza 8 the word “impostering” is used in the sentence “stop impostering our own history” this is saying that the black people need to stop dwelling and morning about the past and instead focus on the present. They need to do this in order to move forward.●The way the poem is structured at the end of the poem creates an uplifting effect. By having the words “clap hands” at the beginning  of every other line, allows the reader to join in  and be part of the movement. Having the phrase “and still we rise” in a separate line, adds emphasis to the fact that they are rising up together. (stanza 8)●Throughout the poem personal pronouns are used to connect with the reader on a personal level. It has the effect of making them feel like they are being spoken to directly. This draws the reader in and allows them to feel empathetic towards the people who were part of the Million Man March. ●The use of diction has been used throughout the poem in arrangement, connotations, pronouns, repetition and mood/tone. The combined use of these all contribute to making the theme and ideas visible in the poem. This is the idea of the black people rising up together for equality and overcoming (the theme) oppression.

The Lesson

I keep dying again.
Veins collapse, opening like the
Small fists of sleeping
Children.
Memory of old tombs,
Rotting flesh and worms do
Not convince me against
The challenge. The years
And cold defeat live deep in
Lines along my face.
They dull my eyes, yet
I keep on dying,
Because I love to live.
- Maya Angelou

  My reaction to this poem was it was a bit hard to understand at first, but as I read it over and over again, I began to get the general idea of the poem. The poem is teaching a lesson that even when obstacles come in your way in life, you should still live your life. I do like this poem because it is teaching you to live life even
when things try to get in your way. The poetic device used here is symbolism because the veins collapsing and the memories of the old tombs, etc, are symbolizing the obstacles that one may have to overcome in their life so they can keep on living their life. Since this peom is a free verse poem, it doesn't have a rhyme scheme.The theme of this poem is to just keep living your life even when life throws obstacles in the way of you living your life

Recovery

A last love,
proper in conclusion,
should snip the wings
forbidding further flight.
But I, now,
reft of that confusion,
am lifted up
and speeding toward the light.
- Maya Angelou

My reaction to this poem was I felt that this poem is impowering because it is talking about someone who has just gotten out of a relationship and at first it was hard to move on but then they start to recover slowly until they had become completely over that person. It is impowering because it gives people, who have just gotten over a relationship, hope to know that one day they will get over that person and recover completely.The poetic device used here is symbolism. Symbolism was in this poem because the snipped wings were symbolizing the depression you have when you first get out of the relationship with your love and the light is symbolizing
the sign of getting over that relationship. The Rhyme scheme is: A B C D E A F D The theme of this poem is that things will get better when given the time to have a chance to heal.